Large Chains

Chicago -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced Wednesday that The Kroger Co. is undertaking an initiative with JLL to conduct a strategic review of a group of its retail assets, in tandem with Kroger’s divisional real estate teams, to explore optimization strategies for a select portfolio of operating stores.

In addition, Jones Lang LaSalle has been selected, among others, to participate in developing disposition strategies for a portion of the retailer’s closed store portfolio.

MONTVALE, N.J. — A&P announced that it has introduced a new line of locally raised chicken, turkey and beef products exclusively available to customers at select A&P, Pathmark, Superfresh, Waldbaum’s and The Food Emporium stores. All Mid-Atlantic Country Farms products are raised by family-owned farms using humane and sustainable farming methods, reducing the environmental impact of shipping food products over long distances, the company reported.

San Francisco -- A Bloomberg report on Tuesday said that three major grocery chains may have violated antitrust law by profit-sharing during a strike.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Tuesday ruled that Safeway, Supervalu Inc.’s Albertson’s and Kroger Co.’s Ralph’s supermarket chains were not exempt from antitrust scrutiny, as a court last year overturned a lower-court ruling that the agreement, reached during a 2003 conflict with the companies’ unions, didn’t violate antitrust law.

Johannesburg, South Africa -- The South African retailer owned by Wal-Mart Stores will make a key acquisition to expand its fresh food offerings, according to a Tuesday report by Bloomberg.

Massmart Holdings Ltd. said it will acquire The Fruitspot as part of its plan to expand its fresh foods. A Massmart spokesman told Bloomberg that the retailer aims to increase its business in butcheries, bakeries and fruit and vegetable suppliers.
 

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets announced it has lowered the prices on 1,600 staple items and that it will freeze these new lower prices for ninety days through Oct. 8.  It is the company's seventh 90-day price freeze program over the past two and a half years.

PHILADELPHIA — Giant-Carlisle plans to open its first store in Philadelphia next week, the grocery chain said.

Giant-Carlisle, officially known as Giant Food Stores and owned by Dutch supermarket operator Royal Ahold, announced that it would open the 74,000-sq.-ft. store on July 20. The company already operated stores in the Philadelphia suburbs, but the new store is the first within the city itself.

JACKSON, Miss. — Cal-Maine Foods announced that the company has named Todd Walters VP operations, effective July 11. Walters will have responsibility for all of Cal-Maine Foods’ production and processing facilities located in Texas.

Minneapolis -- Supervalu on Monday that it is not removing the self check-out lanes from the 460 Albertsons stores that it owns and operates in Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Southern California, Utah, Washington state and Wyoming.

Boise, Idaho -- Albertsons LLC said Friday it is eliminating the self-checkout lanes in all 217 stores, beginning this month.

According to the supermarket retailer, the self-checkout option precludes Albertsons from providing the desired level of customer service.

In place of self-checkout, which it introduced in its stores about 10 years ago, Albertsons said it is considering a modified express lane concept.
 

It’s only been two months since Walmart acquired an undisclosed minority interest in Chinese online supermarket operator Yihaodian, but now the company is indicating it may conduct an initial public stock offering in the United States, according to Bloomberg.

The new agency said the Shanghai-based company is looking to expand aggressively and quoted Yihaodian chairman Yu Gang as saying the company will most likely sell shares to the public in the United States but offered no timetable.